The Galilee Episode: Two Men in One Bed, Two Women Grinding (Blossom Valley Trumpet, 2019)

How confident are you that the Bible says what it says and means what it means? In my early years of personal and academic study (now more than thirty years ago), my theologically conservative denomination and its college nurtured me to be confident in espousing that position. Decades of continuing academic development (and personal spiritual growth) have helped me read the Bible in a more nuanced fashion. These complementary activities (intellectual expansion and spiritual deepening) have only strengthened the role of ancient wisdom (as contained in Hebrew and Christian Scriptures) in my life. I have come to embrace the mutual roles of heart and mind for a fully credible Christian faith.

If you share my love for provocative Scriptural analysis (with the potential to reshape your long-held thinking), you will find Ronald W. Goetz's work a treat. If, however, you prefer biblical interpretation that reinforces what you have always known to be true, you will find this book threatening. (But then again, perhaps what you really need is a little shaking up?)

Goetz focuses on Luke 17, in particular verses 34-35 (which he renders in KJV): "I tell you, in that night, there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left." Fundamentalist/conservative/evangelical (yes, I know those descriptors are not subsumable into one, but that's a blog for another time) Christians have largely interpreted this passage as referencing events surrounding the Second Coming of Christ (think "rapture"). 

Goetz, however, spins a completely different understanding, which will challenge Christian thinkers of all ideological persuasions. What if this Lukan passage has to do not with divine rapturing selectivity, but with events surrounding rising pharisaical star Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai and his complicit engagement with imperial Rome to persecute same-gender, cross-cultural couples?

At this point, you may be thinking, "Um, no. I don't think so." I will admit that as I initially read Goetz's thesis, I was dubious. Not one inclined to accept the perceived ravings of conspiracy theorists, I had to ask myself, "If this thesis is even remotely accurate, why have I never heard about this before?" I have a solid academic background (MDiv from a recognized evangelical seminary, DMin work from a mainline school of theology, a second DMin nearing completion at a recognized institution of excellence) and more than a nodding awareness of scholarship ... so why am I only now hearing about this? (Turns out, after exploring Goetz's citations, there is considerable "buzz" in the academic world that I was simply not aware of).

In a carefully reasoned (albeit dense with detail and numerous footnotes) argument, Goetz helps his reader consider the reasons why it's time for a new reading of this passage. To be clear, this book is not intended for the nightstand or coffee table. Its audience is not the casual reader; with references to Q Source material, the historical role of Galilee, an extensive excursus concerning Yohanan ben Zakkai, and numerous textual criticism explanations, this is a challenging and mind-expanding read.

As much as The Galilee Episode has academic qualities, it is equally the author's narrative of his own emerging understanding, as he has moved from a position of theological fundamentalism to a broader embrace of faith. The eagle-eyed reader will see detect several editorial problems (an adept copy editor could easily polish these rough edges), and the academic will find occasional issues with the author's tone and hermeneutical flourishes. Goetz's conclusion, however, is worth serious consideration: "that one of the earliest and oldest layers of gospel material testifies to multiple police vice raids, the persecution of gay and lesbian 'am ha-aretz by Jewish authorities, yet the raids, their anti-homosexual motivation, and the identity of those who conducted them have been expunged or obscured by Judaism and Christendom for 2,000 years" (240).

Whether you regard this conclusion as unlikely or probable, your mind and heart need to hear what Goetz has to say. He may just shift your thinking.

#TheGalileeEpisode

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the author and/or publisher through the Speakeasy blogging book review network. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

First Principles: What America's Founders Learned from the Greeks and Romans and How That Shaped Our Country (Thomas E. Ricks, Harper 2020)

In the political turmoil that characterizes 2020, Thomas E. Ricks writes an eminently readable and intellectually stimulating investigation into the personal formation of USA Founding Fathers Washington, Adams, Jefferson and Madison. His work gives us the opportunity to consider what made America great in the first place.

If exploring history is one of your passions, you have slogged your way through minutiae-laden tomes which dryly recount mind-numbing details: obscure names jumbled together with little contextual framing, disparate dates with seeming lack of connection to a larger whole, geographic descriptions which overwhelm any semblance of narrative flow.

Reading history, fortunately, does not always need to be such an arid experience. Ricks, the military history columnist for the New York Times Book Review, does his profession (and his reader) a great service by creating a flowing narrative with sufficient detail to make his point: USA Founding Fathers did not simply arise ex nihilo in the American Revolution. In fact, each of them were significantly influenced by ancient Greek and Roman political philosophers. 

Ricks masterfully details the ways in which their early life and academic experiences formed the first four Presidents: Washington, Adams, Jefferson and Madison. With adroit clarity Ricks fashions a narrative to reveal how, in the midst of their individual and significant differences, these four men laid the foundations for a shared national identity. This shared vision did not center on grasping and maintaining political power (Washington wisely chose to relinquish power at the end of his term, trusting the American people and the process). This grounded vision was not based on the geographical power wrested from electoral votes (Adams is the single executive in the era not from Virginia). Further, the "greatness" of America was not subsumed into political party identification (Washington, a Federalist, and Jefferson, a Democratic-Republican, were far apart politically, but did not cast aspersions toward one another. Adams may be an exception at this point, however).

The key to the "greatness" of America's first four presidents, argues Ricks, is their rootedness in the wisdom of the ancient Greeks and Romans. While each president's influences are unique to himself, their common strength is found in sources beyond themselves (and prior to their immediate context). In other words, they held a shared value in classical, ancient wisdom. "Virtue" as classically described was the key to their individual understandings of "success."

Ricks brings the reader from pre-Revolution America through the era of Manifest Destiny. His narrative is engaging, peppered with humorous scintillas and structured to move the reader across the first century of American history with appropriate speed. (Those desiring more detail can reference his extensive annotated endnotes).

While the first thirteen chapters are well done, perhaps the best reading moments are to be found in chapter fourteen, in which Ricks diagnoses "The End of American Classicism," and in his Epilogue, in which he identifies ten steps forward for Americans. (Spoiler alert: be prepared for an optimistic conclusion!)

If you find yourself disillusioned with the current state of USA political life, you need to read this book! Ricks' solid research, irenic tone and non-anxious conclusions belong in the center of American consciousness ... once again.